Headwear



l l Jano HEADWEAR Filed April 19, 1954 INVENTOR CHARLESELEWIS ATTOBNES Patented Jan. 15, 1935 GharleJs-E:Lewis,Truro,` Nova Senta, Canada Application Api-n.19, lesifserial N0.-721,2s3

j i'f14fo1aims. (01.224195) JLSIhisf invention relates tdheadwear and corn,-A prises alselfradljusting cap` capable of elastic expansionl and contraction to :.t "heads" of varying sizes and shapes.IffMoreparticularly; the invention resides in'making the Lcapibody of stretchablef material andi providing-Tit witha `headband of l"elastic vrfabric .soitlrat-bothl thesfbody Aportion andthe headband willrstretchund'er slight tren sionf and will :contract yltol their original size.: and shape-wh'en free`to do `sos..Capsso'mad'ei'will stretch' to nt several. .different siz'es and shapes of heads without fimposing'objectionablelipressure. thereon. 1i

Caps provided withheadbandsofleather or other relatively stiff and inelastic materialslfwill notstretch-'exceptE under "llea'vy'itensio'n Ito nt heads larger` 'than the. .size 1'forl-w-l'1i ch they" are actually designed. i When stretched underrvheavy. tension they lexert objectionable l.pressure 'on' the head and become I'pernlan'e'ntly .enlarged.v r Such caps, while giving a v'satisfactory-iit fat' the 'time of purchase, Jmaytsubsequently vprove too* small or too large owing :toa changel in headszerdue to growth or-A trimming of-the! hair,l j* llt iisailsowell known that thefjltf'of theordinary'c'a'p is affected byhchanges Linzrweat'lfer" or atmospheric condi-l in place the lower edge is stitched, under slight tension, to the edge portion of the cap body so that the remaining portion of the band is left free to contract to a more or less conical shape. The band thus forms an expansible wall defining a head receiving opening gradually decreasing in circumference from the lower to the upper edge of the band. In addition to its high degree of elasticity, which permits it to expand and grip the head without exerting objectionable pressure thereon, the band is much softer and flexible than the usual leather headband and is, therefore, a more comfortable fit on the head. Such softness and flexibility is preferably obtained by making the band from elastic yarn comprising a core of elastic material including a covering of relatively inelastic fibrous material in which the tion.: lIn thefcase or a. `captechipped"with aviser.

stretching. of the edgeportion-.dr ther'body portion to which the visorfis attached lis rli'rti"desirf-` able since thisfmayaleautofrupture of it 'titanes holding the 'visor {infplacell-'The present'ifm/enL tionV th'er'eforeil conternplate's', as! one n' 'of "its f eatures.' the' provision of aniinelasticstipf which is sewn to and serves to reinforeeandfi'prevent stretching of theedgeipo'rtion of the c'apfbody to which the visor? is attached-'Without -int'erfr portion -of the calzvbody.y n M "A further Efeature of the' 'present invention resides in the yprovision -of arrfelastie stripU exa tending 'around the rear and side por-tionsfof the c'apbody and havingfitsjends joined -tothe 'ends of thefafoi'enientioned inelastic strip alas-f tic fstrip here referred to 'fis stitched in `plaii'e be. tween the body of the cap andan inturned dg to' which the elastic fabrichea'dband is'lsecured and `'serves asv a shaping and reinforcingj'strip without interfering-with the'fstretch that portionlof the cap bodytofwhichl'it is secured.

`Aifurtlfi'er"featurefof themventio" esids inv the "provision of" a 4sweat band`I which f 1s ttched to` the'forwa'd edge cf the* cap 'body ard'vrlie's the forward portion of the elastic headband to protect the latter from perspiration accumulating on the forehead of the wearer.

Proceeding now toa more detailed description of the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, wherein- K l Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking towards the bottom and one side of a cap made in accord. ance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View kalong the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

As shown in this drawing the cap body 5 is provided with an inturned edge 6. A folded stripv 7 is fitted on that portion of the edge 6 to which the Visor 8 is attached. Strip 7 is made of substantially inelastic fabric and its opposite ends are carried a short distance rearwardly along the sides of the cap body to overlie the ends of a second strip 9. The latter extends around the rear and forwardly along the sides of the cap between the cap body and the inturned edge 6 and is made of elastic fabric capable of considerable stretch under slight tension. The visor presents the usual attaching edges 10 which are arranged to lie between the strip 7 and an endless headband 11 made of elastic fabric. The forehead engaging portion of the bandllV is pro- 12 tectedl by an overlying sweat band 12 which is co-extensive with the attaching edges 10 of the visor. and 12 are sewn to the cap body 5 by two lines of stitching 13 which also pass through the attaching edges 10- of the visor. One line of stitching 13 terminates at the ends of the sweat band 12 but the other serves to secure the whole length of the lower edge of the headband 11 to the co-extensive .inturned edge 6 of the cap body. The strips 'T and 9..'are also stitched to the inturned edge of the cap body as indicatedat 14 and 15. As previously stated, the headband 11 has its lower edge stitched to the cap body under slight tension so that the band tends-to contract to the slightly conical shape shown in Fig. 2, thus providing an expansible head opening graduallyV decreasing in circumference from the lower Vto\ the upper edge of the band. When the lcap is applied to'the smallestfsize, of head for ,-whichxit is designed there isjust,v enough tensioning'of the "headband to cause it .to conform to the exact contour of the head and tov hold the cap securely in place thereon without subjecting the wearer to uncomfortable pressure.V The cap kmayalso be wornwithequal comfort on anyof the klarger head sizes for which it is designed. In this con-v nection it will be understood that the headband, because of the ,conical shape to which itis nor-'- mally contracted, is capable of independent expansion to accommodateseveral different sizes of heads without tensioning ofthe cap body. It

will also be,l evident that theA elasticity of the Y'bandwill permit thetensioned llower-edge thereof to stretch with' the material of the cap `,body

to accommodate a vfurther! range of head sizes The lower engaging edges of the bands 11` owing to danger of disrupting the stitching 13 by which these parts are sewn in place. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isz- 1. A cap capable of elastic expansion and contraction to iit. heads of varying sizes and shapes, said cap comprising a fabric ,body capable of substantialstretch under light tension, an endless headband of elastic fabric having its lower edge sewn, lundertension, to'kthe headiengaging edge of the' body, and a visor sewn tothe aforesaid edges of thebody and headband along the 4 [iorehead engaging portions thereof.

v, 2.` A cap capable of elastic expansion and contraction to t heads of varying sizes and shapes,

saidcap comprising a fabric body capable of substantial stretch under light tension, a visor attached to the edge-of the body along the forehead engaging portion of the said edge, an inelastic strip sewn to the aforesaid portion of the` body edge to which the visor: is attached andan endless elasticheadband sewn, along its ylower edge, tothe head engaging` edge of the body.

.i 3. A cap capable of elastic expansion and contraction to ilt a range of head sizes and shapes, said cap comprisinga"stretchable body, an inf elastic strip sewn to aportionof the head engage ing edg'e of the body, an elastic strip sewn to the remaining yportion of said edge and'to ythe ends of the inelastic strip, an'elastic headband eX- tending entirely around the insideof the body and having itslower edge sewn to the v'aforesaid body edge, and a visor attached to that portion of the body edge to which the inelastic strip is sewn. i fi,

f4. A cap comprising a body 'of stretchable fab,- riclprovided with an inturned edge adapted to it over and encircle the head, ,a visor and a strip of inelastic Vfabric sewn to 4.the forehead engaging portion of said edge, a strip of elastic material sewnto the remainingy portion of said edge,. and a headbandrcomprisingva stripfof elasticvmaterial extending `entirely varound the inner side` of thebody and having its `lower edge stitched tosaid inturned edge. l

l. CHARLES E. LEWIS. 

